Alien/Predator Novel Reviews

[Corporal Hicks]

I remember the first half of Cauldron being fantastic, with some interesting stuff regarding the Alien in the back-end. But I don't tend to revisit the DH Press stuff.

[SM]

I'm the opposite.  The first half of Cauldron seemed to be taking place in some other universe than wasn't related to Alien and populated with one dimensional cardboard cut outs spouting the clunkiest most unrealistic drivel in an Alien book.  There was a couple of cool bits later on with the Aliens, but overall I think I rate it the worst Alien novel.

[Gentleman Death]

I forgot to mention that in DNA War there was a scene of facehuggers running around. Now, I've never thought of it until I read that but what's the lifespan on them? Are they only in the eggs or have they ever run around like the aliens do and do any other lore mentions them like that? I've always assumed they were in the egg until needed...

[SiL]

Aliens shows they can last at least a few weeks in tubes, but we don't know what was in the liquid and whether it played a part in keeping them alive.

[Nightmare Asylum]

Not quite sure on the official canon status of the Tongal shorts, so I'd definitely say to take them with a grain of salt, but Alien: Alone features a Facehugger surviving for a pretty extended period of time (though slowly dying as it goes) with no host in its presence.

[Kradan]

I always thought facehuggers "have permission to die" only when their job is done

[Gentleman Death]

I always thought facehuggers "have permission to die" only when their job is done

This makes sense 😎

Finished Cauldron... I really hope that Diane Carey (the author of this and DNA War) never again returns to the Alien universe. I noticed she wrote a few Star Trek books and after learning that, makes a lot of sense.

Cauldron felt like a few different books, mixed together and then she realized she forgot the main ingredient, Aliens.

This book was hit and miss. I surprisingly liked the scene where the alien made the human scream, but did not like when it appeared with another human who the alien made talk...Rather confusing.

The kids were beyond annoying, though I didn't mind one or two of them. Some of them are overly smart like Leigh and Pearl...oh yes, Pearl. So she makes a comment at the end that she was supposed to be one of Aliens because her DNA is all messed up....and then that was that.  And the whole Adam drugging the grownups to take over the ship was beyond ridiculous and I thought he would've given a good reason why, he doesn't, period. Plus the kids don't really even fight Adam on releasing the captain and all watch as he's made to see his family heirloom melted down to nothing...

The reasoning the aliens escaped, for chickens to be cooked, was pretty ridiculous as well and after there released, take over the ship in a matter of an hour, from what I read. Also, the ship they were originally released on  (the Virginia) docked with the Umiak (the kids ship), is never mentioned again after more than half the crew of the Umiak departs. What happened to the rest of the crew and aliens, left on the Virginia?

I did like the releasing of all the animals throughout the cargo hold to mess with the aliens. That part was pretty cool and an alien going up against a saber tooth and mammoth was a neat idea. Plus I feel she described the aliens as more horror and brutal than she did in DNA War, so there's that.

The random pirates/smugglers that showed up delivers absolutely nothing to the story other than a baby getting ripped out of one of the female pirates and Robin taking care of it, which is even hardly mentioned.

It ends with the remaining kids splashing and swimming around in a container which was filled with aquatic life...yeah...

Once again, I don't mind authors taking the aliens in a different direction and trying new things, but this author misses more than hits.

Maybe because I was warned previously about the novel but I think I still hold DNA War as the worst, followed right behind this one.

Steel Egg is next...

I've also noticed after reading the last few I've found no mention of the prior novels in the omnibus after volume 4 or 5, not sure. The last three novels I've read mentioned that humans have heard of Aliens but don't have much detail on them. Are these newer books not involved in the previous storylines? Are they just there own story?

[Nightmare Asylum]

I've also noticed after reading the last few I've found no mention of the prior novels in the omnibus after volume 4 or 5, not sure. The last three novels I've read mentioned that humans have heard of Aliens but don't have much detail on them. Are these newer books not involved in the previous storylines? Are they just there own story?

The Bantam stuff (from Earth Hive to Berserker) are adaptations of Dark Horse comics from their original continuity where Aliens eventually  invade Earth and become a known entity.

The Dark Horse Press novels (from Original Sin to No Exit) are a reboot timline that doesn't take any of that material into account, and I don't think the particular novels reference one another, either.

The current novels, from Titan, represent yet another reboot. And it seems that even within the Titan stuff, there are some contradictions between the books that came out pre-Alien: Covenant and those that came out after.

[Gentleman Death]

I've also noticed after reading the last few I've found no mention of the prior novels in the omnibus after volume 4 or 5, not sure. The last three novels I've read mentioned that humans have heard of Aliens but don't have much detail on them. Are these newer books not involved in the previous storylines? Are they just there own story?

The Bantam stuff (from Earth Hive to Berserker) are adaptations of Dark Horse comics from their original continuity where Aliens eventually  invade Earth and become a known entity.

The Dark Horse Press novels (from Original Sin to No Exit) are a reboot timline that doesn't take any of that material into account, and I don't think the particular novels reference one another, either.

The current novels, from Titan, represent yet another reboot. And it seems that even within the Titan stuff, there are some contradictions between the books that came out pre-Alien: Covenant and those that came out after.

Thanks for the breakdown! I honestly don't mind that they don't all follow one another, but was more curious on the timeline for the novels so this helps.

[SM]

The current novels, from Titan, represent yet another reboot. And it seems that even within the Titan stuff, there are some contradictions between the books that came out pre-Alien: Covenant and those that came out after.

I don't believe there's any contradictions from book to book - just the pre-Covenant books and Covenant itself.

[Nightmare Asylum]

Ahhh, that makes sense. TCF and Phalanx are the only ones I've actually read, myself.

[Corporal Hicks]

This book was hit and miss. I surprisingly liked the scene where the alien made the human scream, but did not like when it appeared with another human who the alien made talk...Rather confusing.

It's been a long while since I last re-read Cauldron but I remember this being a stand-out moment.

Steel Egg is next...

[HuDaFuK]

Yeah, Steel Egg was rough. Comfortably the worst in my eyes.

[Corporal Hicks]

Annoyingly was the one I was looking forward to the most back then. But yeah, that's awful.

[SM]

Cauldron was way worse than Steel Egg.

But Reynolds was way worse than any character in any Alien media ever.